Gamou of Tivaouane: Rains, water cuts and sanitation, the Minister of the Interior reassures

With just days to go before the annual Gamou of Tivaouane, scheduled for August 25, 2026, the authorities are accelerating preparations to ensure good reception conditions for the millions of pilgrims expected in the religious city.

In Tivaouane, the Minister of the Interior and Public Security, Mouhamadou Makhtar Cissé, chaired a national meeting to assess the preparations, in the presence of representatives of the Gamou Organising Committee (COSKAS).

On this occasion, the minister conveyed the greetings of the President of the Republic, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, to the Caliph General of the Tijaniyya, Serigne Babacar Sy Mansour. He also announced the President's visit to Tivaouane this Friday. According to him, this visit will mark the official start of the activities of the Mawlid organizing committee.

Sanitation, the main challenge

The discussions largely focused on the challenges associated with the rainy season, particularly stormwater management. For Mouhamadou Makhtar Cissé, "the biggest challenge remains sanitation."

The minister acknowledged that some work was not yet 100% complete, while assuring that the various state services were mobilized to finalize operations before the massive arrival of pilgrims.

In response to concerns raised by the mayor of Tivaouane, the president of the departmental council, representatives of COSKAS and those of the general Khalif of the Tijaniyya, the minister sought to reassure them: "Overall, the situation is under control."

Water, electricity and rain: persistent concerns

The Khalif's representatives, however, pointed out several difficulties, including delays in certain sanitation works. They asked the authorities to expedite payment to the company responsible for stormwater drainage operations.

Water outages recorded since Sunday, as well as disruptions to the electricity network in some neighborhoods, have also been reported.

The minister also called for vigilance regarding the risk of heavy rain during the Gamou celebrations. With a touch of humor, he declared: "We're not going to ask God not to rain. We're going to ask Him for a welcome rain that won't disrupt the event."

A meeting welcomed by the representatives of the Caliph

The holding of this evaluation meeting was welcomed by representatives of the Caliph General of the Tijaniyya. They emphasized that such a meeting had not taken place for several years.

Serigne Habib Sy Mansour also appealed to drivers to exercise more caution on the roads, as thousands of vehicles will converge on Tivaouane for the Gamou.

For his part, the Minister of the Interior urged all technical services to maintain their mobilization in order to guarantee the safety, mobility and comfort of the millions of pilgrims expected in the holy city.

With the religious event just days away, the challenge now is to transform the commitments made into concrete actions, particularly in the areas of sanitation, water, electricity and security.